Diocese of Spirito Santo

(SPIRITUS SANCTI)

Suffragan of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro , established in 1896. Its jurisdiction comprises the State of Espirito Santo, United States of Brazil , South America, with twenty-eight municipalities and a Catholic population in 1911 of 202,000 inhabitants, 20 secular priests and 15 friars. Of Catholic educational institutions there are, in the city of Victoria, the capital of the state and seat of the bishop, a gymnasio or college of secondary instruction directed by secular priests and having the same privileges as a federal school ; and the Collegio das Irmas de Caridade, for girls, under the direction of the Sisters of Charity. At Victoria are also located the "Hospital da Misericordia", in which five Sisters of Charity serve as nurses, and the Santa Casa de Misericordia, a charitable institution founded in 1545, and by decree of 1 June, 1606, it was accorded the same privileges of the Santa Casa de Misericordia of Lisbon ; an important annex of this institution is the Orphanato Santa Luzia, an orphan asylum. There are also twelve Catholic associations in Victoria. In other cities and towns of the diocese there are also various Catholic schools, charitable institutions, etc. The present bishop is the Rt. Rev. Fernando de Sousa Monteiro born 22 Sept., 1866, raised to the see 1 March, 1902. (See BRAZIL.)